Canada funds GOP oil sands tour

Three Republican congressmen toured portions of the Alberta oil sands earlier this week on the Canadian government’s dime.

Reps. John Shimkus, Bob Latta and Joe Wilson toured portions of the area on Tuesday with Cal Dallas, the Alberta minister of intergovernmental, international and aboriginal relations, and the Canadians paid for the trip, the Vancouver Sun reported.

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The $11,000 cost was split between the Albertan and Canadian governments, according to Latta spokesman Izzy Santa. Canada paid for the congressmen’s hotels and flights, and Alberta paid for the ground transportation.

The trip was made possible by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Program, which was designed to foster understanding between the United States and other countries by facilitating educational and cultural trips for citizens, Santa said.

The law allows American citizens, nationals and federal employees to travel to foreign countries for research or educational purposes, for cultural exchanges to showcase the athletic and cultural achievements of the United States abroad, and also for the demonstration of American “economic accomplishments or cultural attainments,” among other things, according to the statute.

According to the Vancouver Sun, the congressmen visited two projects by Shell Corp., as well as a reclaimed drilling site that serves as a pasture for bison. They also reportedly flew over tailings ponds related to the projects.

“I don’t see any legal ethical issues with the trip, but as always, whoever sponsors the trip controls access to information,” said Tyler Slocum, director of the energy program for Public Citizen, a government watchdog group. “In this case, the sponsor of the trip is heavily in support of exploiting the tar sands, that’s the point of view the lawmakers are going to get.”

Canadian oil sands would be tapped and transported to refineries along the coast of Texas if the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline is approved by the State Department. Both Shimkus and Latta are on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which in June passed legislation that required the Obama administration to make a decision about the Keystone XL pipeline before the end of the year. That bill was later approved by the full House.

Wilson was on the trip because machinery used at the oil sands is manufactured in South Carolina, said Neal Patel, Wilson’s press secretary. Specifically, the tires on some of the machinery are manufactured in Lexington, S.C., Wilson’s district. “Also, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he is concerned with our nation’s energy security,” Patel said via email. “He understands energy security and national security go hand in hand.”

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 1:01 p.m. on October 20, 2011.